By Junex Doronio

ILOILO CITY — Citing demoralization, false promises, ill-treatment, and corruption within the fledgling Maoist movement, a top New People’s Army (NPA) officer has surrendered to the joint forces of the 61st Infantry (Hunter) Battalion of the Philippine Army (PA) and Tubungan Municipal Police Station in this city.

3ID Commander Major General Marion Sison identified the NPA surrenderee as Carlo Tagong Flora, known by aliases Vic, Victor, Concon, Thor, and Denver.

Flora served as the finance and logistics officer of Squad 2, Regional Sentro De Gravidad, Madia-as Platoon of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay.

He yielded on January 6 which signifies a “positive step toward peace and stability” in the region, according to authorities.

“Your organization is on the brink of downfall. You can still regain your future if you return to the government peacefully as early as possible,” 3ID Commander Major General Marion Sison said in his message to the remaining NPA combatants.

Flora’s enrollment in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip) is currently being processed by the 61IB.

The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division of the Philippine Army called on the remaining members of the NPA to follow Flora’s lead.

Sison said the government’s willingness to assist those who choose peace and return to their families through the E-Clip.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Saying that the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA is collectively a “spent force”, former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has rejected ceasefire with the Maoist rebels this Christmas.

On Friday (Dec 22), Lacson said in a statement that the government should not lose steam by giving the Maoists an opportunity to recoup their losses.

“The CPP/NPA is almost a spent force – thanks to the efforts of former President Rodrigo Duterte and the security forces during his term as president,” Lacson noted.

Earlier, Vice President Sara Duterte thumbed down any form of peace talks with the CPP-NPA.

She once again described the recent agreement between the Marcos Jr. administration and communist groups as an “agreement with the devil.”

For his part, Lacson — who once served as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief — said the government should instead pound hard on the communists whose agenda is to overthrow the state.

“We should not squander those gains by giving them – already designated as a terrorist group – another breathing space to regroup and reconsolidate their strength to fight and overthrow the duly constituted authority which is their ONLY agenda in the first place,” Lacson stressed.

However, he said the Maoist rebels should still be allowed to surrender “peacefully and unconditionally” if they decide to give up their armed struggle.

The CPP, founded by the late Jose Ma. Sison 55 years ago, has been waging their “protracted people’s war” copied from the revolutionary playbook of Mao Zedong in China.

(IAmigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — History is seemingly in the making with the resumption of peace negotiations between the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) which launched a Maoist-type “armed struggle” that began during the regime of the President’s late father and has persisted for nearly 55 years now.

Norway, reputed as one of the safest and most developed countries in Europe, has agreed to host the peace talks, six years after they were terminated by the Duterte administration which vowed but failed to crush the longest Maoist insurgency in this part of Southeast Asia.

“The parties agree to a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict,” read a joint statement issued by both sides, signed in Oslo, Norway last Thursday, November 23.

“The parties acknowledge the deep-rooted socioeconomic and political grievances and agree to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation.”

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. noted that both sides have agreed to “a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.”

He expressed hope that ”This joint communiqué highlights a significant milestone in the quest of the Filipino people to achieve peace, reconciliation, and unity.”

“We will start anew… really a fresh start,” Galvez said.

For her part, NDFP chief negotiator Julieta De Lima-Sison, widow of the late CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison said they will raise some “impediments” such as the release of peace consultants and political prisoners, as well as the terrorist designation of the NDFP.

She added that the “timeline is still being discussed. Maybe next year.”

On the other hand, Connie Ledesma, consultant and wife of former priest and NDFP Chairman Luis Jalandoni, disclosed that the NDFP will also push for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“What we can only answer and the most certain thing is we have signed a joint statement and we are eager to move faster,” Ledesma said.

(ai/mnm)